Combination locks



Jan. 7, 1958 I A. R. PANGBORN 2,819,357

- COMBINATION LOCKS Filed July 25,1956

lllllllllllmllli'ii IN VEN TOR:

W500! fairy/W2,

United States Patent.

This; invention relates to locking devices andparticularly;to a;combination lockfor electrical systems: such astautoniobile electricalsystems.

An object of this invention is to provide a combination lock forelectrical systems which will eliminate the need for a key and yetprevent unauthorized use of the systems.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple inexpensivecombination operated plunger.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plunger switchactuated by a cylindrical combination actuating member which normally isout of engagement with the plunger and rotating in a plane parallelthereto but which may be urged into the plane of the plunger andengageable therewith to urge said plunger toward the closed position atcertain points on the periphery of the actuating member.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an actuatingmember having pins of different heights at selected points on anactuator member whereby to stepwise selectively actuate a plunger.

Other objects, advantages and purposes of this invention will beapparent from a consideration of the following description and theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of thisinvention with the front cover plate removed.

Figure 2 is a section on the line IIII of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragment of the plunger of Figure l in the closedposition.

Figure 4 is a fragment of the central position of the plunger of Figure1 in the closed position.

Figure 5 is a section on the line VV of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragment of the bottom portion of Figure 2 with theactuating member in normal position.

Referring to the drawings there is illustrated a shell or housing 10 inthe form of a rectangular box having a removable cover plate 11 (Figure5). A shaft 12 is rotatably mounted through the front and rear faces ofhousing 10 and carries fixed thereon a cylindrical actuating member 13.The actuating member 13 is urged toward the front face by a spring 14.An operating knob and dial 15 is fixed on the end of shaft 12 externallyof the housing 10. Actuating pins 16 extend radially outwardly atvarying stepped lengths from the periphery of the actuating member 13.Each pin 16 is provided with an outer ramp 17.

A sleeve 18 is fixed to and depends from the end wall v of the housing10 remote from the actuating member 13. Spaced latching notches 19extend longitudinally along the exterior of sleeve 18. A plunger 20 fitsslidably in the sleeve 18 and carries a contactor end 21 at one endthereof extending out of the housing 10. The opposite end of plunger 20is provided with an outer sleeve 22 having a chisel shaped end 23adapted to ride up the ramps 17 of the actuating pins 16. The outersleeve 22 carries a spring loaded detent 24 engageable in notches 1,9 ofthe sleeve 18. The outer sleeve 22 also carries a pair of' opposedtriangular cams 25 and 26 adaptedto move beneath'detent' 24 to raise thedetent out-of engagement with the notches 19. The cams 2S and 26- aremounted on arms 27 attached to a pivot arm 28 pivoted onthe outersleeve22'. The ends'of cam arms 27 extend below the pivot arm- 28in'line with the chi'selpointof sleeve 22. Spring: means 29'urges theoutersleeve 22 towardthe actuating member 13.

A: spring loaded plunger" 30 is mounted in' the side) of the a housing10 in -line' with I one of the cam arm's- 2 7 so that'pressing theplunger 30" raises the detent 24 out of notch 19 and permits-theouter-sleeve-22 to drop toward the actuating memb'ei l-l'icarryingalongthe 'cam's 25 'and 2'6 'andsarmsl27i In operation: with i the-circuit inthe' open positiorbtlie dial andv knob Ni a-repressed inwardly to=-the=position shownxinzFigureLZ wit-lithe shortest=pin adjacent mes sew: 22.This brings the actuating pins 16 in line with the sleeve 22. Turningthe knob in the proper direction causes the ramp 17 on the shortest pin16 to raise the sleeve 22. The knob 15 is released and turned to thenext shortest pin according to the coded dial and again pressed inwardlyand turned. Selectively depressing and turning the knob in the properdirection to successively higher pins causes the sleeve 22 to moveupwardly with the detent 24 holding the sleeve in successive positionsalong the sleeve 18. Each time the actuating pins are brought againstthe sleeve 22 they first contact the ends of arms 27 causing the earns25 or 26 to move under detent 24 to permit the sleeve 22 to raise morereadily.

When the plunger 20 is in the raised position, with the circuit closed,it may be lowered into closed position by depressing plunger 30 until itforces cam 25 beneath detent'24, thereby releasing it from notches 19.The spring 29 immediately causes the sleeve 22 to drop to its lowermostposition (Figure 1) with the circuit open.

While a preferred embodiment of this invention has been illustrated anddescribed herein it will be understood that this invention may beotherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A combination lock out switch for electrical circuits comprising ahousing having spaced generally parallel walls, cylindrical actuatormeans intermediate two of said spaced walls and movable therebetween,resilient means urging said actuator means toward one of said spacedwalls, spaced radially projecting pins of stepwise varying lengths atrandom on said actuator means, dial means on the actuator means coded tosaid pins, first sleeve means on the housing projecting toward theactuator means, plunger means movable in said first sleeve meanscoaxially thereof, outer sleeve means connected to one end of theplunger means and movable telescopically on said first sleeve contactmeans on the opposite end of the plunger adapted to close an electricalcircuit, detent means on the outer sleeve engageable in stops on thefirst sleeve, said outer sleeve extending to a point adjacent theactuator means and being contacted by the pins for movement on the firstsleeve when the actuator means is forced against the resilient means,cam means adapted to release the detent, plunger means manually operableto move the cam means into contact with the detent whereby to releasethe outer sleeve means and resilient means acting on said outer sleeveurging said sleeve toward the actuator means.

2. A combination lock as claimed in claim 1 wherein each pin is providedwith a ramp upon which the outer sleeve is adapted to ride to be raisedon the first sleeve, said ramps being randomly directed in planesparallel to the axis of the actuator means and coded to the dial means.

3. A combination lock as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pins on theactuator means are not engageable with i the outer sleeve at anyperipheral position when the actuator means is in its normal positionand are engageable with the outer sleeve only when the actuator means isforced against the resilient means out of its normal position.

4. In an electrical circuit having a plunger operated switch, a housinghaving spaced generally parallel walls, first sleeve means on one endand receiving the switch plunger, cylindrical actuator meansintermediate the walls of the housing on an axis transverse to the axisof the plunger, resilient means urging the actuator means out ofalignment with the plunger, spaced radially projecting pins of stepwisevarying lengths at random on the periphcry of said actuator means, dialmeans on the actuator means coded to said pins, outer sleeve meanstelescoping over the first sleeve means and fixed to one end of theplunger, detent means on the outer sleeve engageable in spaced stops onthe first sleeve, said outer sleeve extending to a point adjacent theactuator means and being contacted by the pins for stepwise movement onthe first sleeve when the actuator means is forced against the resilientmeans and rotated-in selected fixed direction dependent upon thepositionof the pins, cam means adapted to release the detent, plungermeans manually operable to move the cam means beneath the detent wherebyto release the outer sleeve means and resilient means acting on saidouter sleeve urging said sleeve toward the actuator.

5. In an electrical circuit as claimed in claim 4, a directional ramp oneach pin upon which the outer sleeve is adapted to ride to be raised onthe first sleeve, said ramps being randomly directed in planes parallelto the axis of the actuator means and coded to the dial means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,192,346 Putts July 25, 1916 2,337,713 Garlington Dec. 28, 19432,387,372 Watkins et al Oct. 23, 1945 2,644,114 Edwards et al June 30,1953

